Year 8 Music
Overview
Music in Year 8 focuses on developing and expanding the musical skills of our students across a wide range of contexts. The course places equal emphasis on the development of both written and practical skills: theory and aural, history and literature and composing. Performance skills, both solo and ensemble are also developed and assessed as students continue to progress through their private instrumental tuition.
The Semester One unit, "Folk Music" culminates in a theme and variations composition task for a solo instrument where students use the music software program Sibelius to notate their composition as well as presenting it as a performance.
In Semester Two, students continue to develop their written and practical skills, focusing on "Rock Music". They perform as an ensemble in arrangements of Rock Music and compose their own composition for a small ensemble.
Topics
Written:
- Aural & Theory (skills covered in accordance with National Curriculum)
- Composition (as outlined above)
Performance:
- Practical and performance tasks incorporating students' instrumental/vocal skills
Assessment
- Research Presentation Tasks (relating to Rock Music)
- Composition Tasks (using music software program Sibelius)
- Written Tests (assessing aural & theory concepts)
- Performance Assessments (solo and ensemble performances on own instrument/voice)
- End-of-semester Examinations (written & performance)
Reporting
Student's assessment results and overall achievement will be reflected in the end-of-semester reports.
Student Expectations / Homework
Music is an interactive and practical subject which demands high levels of student engagement. It is expected that students participate in all classroom activities, both written and practical, in individual and collaborative settings.
Moreover, students are expected to complete frequent and effective instrumental practice in preparation for their performance assessments and other performance opportunities offered at the College. In addition, they are expected to regularly revise the written and practical concepts covered in class to further enhance their musicianship skills and prepare for upcoming assessments.
